Hair trimming device



April 15, 1958 R. cHuRcHlLLo 2,83o,6oo

United States Patent :IO

HAIR TRIMMING DEVICE Roy Churchillo, Lexington, Mass.

Application October 29, 1956, Serial No. 619,016

1 Claim. (Cl. 132-45) This invention relates to a hair cutting guide for use in lifting up and supporting hair ends in successive graduated positions of overhang with respect to a comb element in -order to facilitate hair cutting operations land to provide for more accurate trimming.

It is a principal object ofthe invention to provide an improved hair cutting guide, and to devise a combination of comb element and guide member in which combination the parts are arranged in such a manner that projecting hair ends may .be uniformly and continuously lifted up and held in progressive cutting positions whereby trimming of the hair may be carried out more .accurately and conveniently than has heretofore been the case. Another object is to provide a unique hair cutting guide base which detachably supports any one of a series of comb elements adapted to be employed in a range of comb teeth spacings to facilitate both coarse and fine` cutting. Still another object is to devise a hair cutting edge in which a comb element may be detachably supported in any one of several different positions of adjustment to vary the exposed length of comb teeth.

These and other object and novel features will be vmore fully understood and appreciated from the following description of preferred embodiments of the invention selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings in which;

Fig. l is a perspective view of one form of hair cutting guide of the invention showing a comb element mounted therein;

Pig. 2 is another perspective view showing the comb element of Fig. 1 removed from the hair cutting guide body portion;

Pig. ,3 is a perspective view showing another form of hair cutting guide and particularly illustrating special comb-retaining channel means of the invention;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a detachable comb ele-` ment suitable for use in the comb-retaining channel of' the guide shown in Fig. 3 and further suggesting the use of a relatively coarser comb;

FigyS is a fragmentary perspective view of another form of comb guide body portion and illustrating the use of a plurality of comb-retaning channels;

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view indicating in broken lines the hair cutting guide iu a starting position and further showng in full lines the hair cutting guide occurring in one desired hair cutting station.

In general, the hair cutting guide of the invention is based on the novel concept of constructing a hair cutting guide With a special rolling surface and combining a comb element along one edge of the rolling surface. The special rolling surface is designed to terminate in close proximity to the comb element and to thereby cooperate with the comb element to lift up and support hair ends in a raised or spa-ced position with respect to the upper side of the guide.

Referring in greater detail to the structure shown in the drawings, and in particular Fig. l, numeral 2 denotes a hair cutting guide which comprises a curved base porvice tion`of relatively thin tapering construction. The base portion is formed at its under side with a convex rolling surface 4, and at its upper side with a recessed surface 6 along and immediately above which it is intended that a ipair of barber shears may be located in carrying out the hair trimming operation. The degree of convexity of the surface is made greatest at points near the thinner edge of the body portion. I

The base 2 may, in one preferred form, be constructed with an enlarged bottom edge 8, and arranged at one side of this bottom edge 8 is a holder piece 10. It will be observed that holder piece 10 projects laterally outwardly in a position such that it may conveniently be gripped between the thumb and forefinger and rotated about its longitudinal axis, thereby to cause the rolling -surfa-ce 4 to pass through progressive hair cutting sta- -cludes a plurality of spaced teeth 12 and intervening rest portions 14, as may be seen from an inspection of Fig. 2. It will be noted that the lconvex rolling surface 4 terminates slightly below the intervening rest portions 14, whereby hair ends may be first picked up by the teeth vand caused to extend therebetween. It is pointed out that when the rolling surface is moved through progressivehair cutting stations, the intervening rest portions cooperate with the teeth to lift up and support these hair ends in raised or spaced relation to the upper surface 6 of the guide and in a convenient position t-o be cut by barber shears. The accentuated degree of convexity near the rests materially increases this lifting and supporting action.

The invention, in the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2, may be practiced with the -comb element being first attached in a channel in the base 2, and then permanently cemented in place. If desired, the comb element may also be constructed as an integral part of the body portion. In another important form of the invention I may desire to detachably secure a comb element in the guide, and in this connection I may employ with the guide base -differently sized combs, as for example, fine toothed combs and coarse toothed combs occurring With any desired graduation. Figs. 3 and 4 particularly illustrate -the idea of detachably securing a comb element in the v guide base. As one suitable means of thus arranging a comb element, I may construct the guide base 3 of Fig. 3 with an elongated slot or channel 5 extending along the outermost edge thereof. This channel may, for example, have a cross-sectional shape of cylindrical form which is adapted to slidably receive an enlarged cyiindrical bottom edge 7 'of a comb element 9. It will be understood that the comb element 9 may be inserted and removed, as desired, and where required may be substituted by re'latively finer or -coarser comb ele-ments of the `same construction. The base 3 is formed with a holder 10B' 'and its channel 5 may, preferably, be defined by comb-engaging edges 11 and 13 which are spaced apart a distance substantially corresponding to the width of the teeth in the comb 9. I may also desire to form the comb retaining edge 11 of a slightly greater magnitude than the edge 13 so that edge 11 extends .above edge 13 for -a short distance. This edge 11 may also be taf pered to fit smoothly against the comb teeth and also serves somewhat as a rest for holding hair ends which are engaged between the teeth in a raised position.

In another form of hair cutting guide, shown in Fig. 5, I may provide a base 20 of thin tapering construction corresponding to the base of Fig. l but formed with a plurality ot' openings as 22, 24, and 26. Each of these openings communicate with one another by narrow interteethwouldbe:maintained atta'sizeless than the, width.

of the=communicating-slotsas'- at- 28. lt Will. be apparent that with these comb. teeth'. thusz Controlled' in width, a'des'irable adjustmentmay; be aecomplishedf in which .the length of-teeth1which extend beyond the edge of the guide may vary in accordance-With the type of Cutting' operation 'which is. to. be. carried out.4

In loperation the hair cuttingguidel isheld lin :al starting; position such as. hasbeenindicatedin broken lines' in.

Fig; 6 with'the teeth being engaged'against therbackof the? neeki. or? some' other body; surface;

hair ends areliftedup andraised into a spaced position with respect to thesurface 6 of the guide-2.` It will be apparent that these hair ends are'supported ina position convenient for? engagement by` she-ars and that' a? very' preciseadjustment-of the'len'gth off hair ends' which are.

presented for cutting may b'e arrive'd at,

The operator, thenirotatesthe. holderl lt)v and. at thesame time moves, the guide. body upwardl into some:one'cuttingxstation. such'as that suggested 'infull'linesin Fig.. 6, wherein the* Varous" other changeseandmodifications may be resorted to within the scope of the appended claim.

What I claim. as new is:

An improved hair cutting guide comprising a relatively thin Curved base, said base presenting a lower rolling surface and an upper recessed Cutting surface, a handle element arranged at one end of the base in a position to be rotated about itslongitudinal axs and cause the rolling surface to swing through progressive hair cutting stations, a comb element mounted along one side of the base, said eomb element including a plurality of spaced-apart teeth and intervening rest portions, said rest portions and teeth projecting outwardly from the rolling surface to engage with hair ends and support graduated lengths of'v said hair-ends in spaeed relation to the upper recessed Cutting surface of the base during movement of the guide through its said hair cutting stations.

References Cited inthe file of this patent UNITEDV STATES PATENTS 357,201* Hubbell Feb. 8, 1887 1,381,804 Crawford June 4, 1921 2;43'1,8`40l Slavck Dec. 2, 1947 

